flying high

warren and i took our leave of ben at the restaurant and headed off in search of the airport. tom (my dad, for those of you who don't know the inner workings of my immediate family) had gallantly and generously offered to pick us up on the plane and fly us back up to tupelo for the week. woo hoo! but...i should have asked WHICH airfield we were being picked up from! i assumed the FBO would be right next to the main commercial terminal...oh, not so, my friends, not so. after a couple of detours and badly given directions by random airfield employees, i finally gave up and called ben, who called the pilot, who called me, and we found our way! pretty soon we had unloaded and car and loaded the plane with luggage, food and carseat, and off we went!

the neatest thing was that this was Warren's very first flight...not a bad way to go, eh?

there was a little trepidation in his glance as the engines whirred to life. his trusty blankie was there though, corner firmly in hand, so surely he would be safe...


Mr. Joe, our fearless pilot:


oooh...there are buttons to play with? hmmm...


actual giggles here...i think we might have hit some turbulence. he LOVED the turbulence, swaying from side to side after we'd gone through any patch and saying "a bumpy track! a bumpy track!" (he is STUCK on trains, don't you know).


admiring the view from his very own window...beverage of choice close by in his cupholder, courtesy of stewardess "mom" (yes, of course i had snacks too!).


and then we picked up the rest of the group accompanying us north...Tom (aka "Bunky" to Warren) and the rest of the Eutaw crew. i took Warren in for his potty break while everyone else was getting their things together, and when we came back out, there were cookies awaiting him. i tried to steer him away, but all the men of course encouraged him...so warren got his cookie, and we all loaded back up again.

here he is, up front with me...for the moment. the intrigue of playing with his Bunky soon lured him back...

oh. and yes. i look hot and sweaty. that's because i was. why on earth i thought leaving my now ridiculously long hair DOWN was a good idea when i knew i would be hopping on and off of a plane with a child in the September of the South, i will NEVER be able to explain. sheesh. you'd think i'd learn why they make ponytails...or hairdressers and scissors, for that matter!


and now with his Bunky...(you can see the mischief brewing, can't you?)


Bunky demonstrating how to open and close the "blinds" on the windows...fancy, huh?


and just about then, the cookie kicked in. i tried, i tell you, i tried to save them from the perils of a cookie-filled Warren. i tried...




(i think they were beginning to second guess the wisdom of their cookie encouragement right about here...)




and just about then, after hopping in, on and around every person in the back of the plane, the sugar finally burned to it's last ounce of energy. and the crash occurred. not the plane, of course - i suppose that's terrible terminology to use! but we're safe and sound (as evidenced by my current posting)...and at that moment, the passengers were safe from warren's antics, and warren was sound asleep in mama's lap.


not a bad "first flight"!